tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9887381841436912912015-02-06T21:36:10.356-06:00I Love Mr. PibbGretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.comBlogger672125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-25026483985181542982013-11-08T16:00:00.000-06:002013-11-08T16:00:04.789-06:00To Sweet Charli, on Your 1st BirthdayChars,<br />I was thinking today about what a sweet addition you are to our family. You're different from the boys, as you should be. You're more calm, more snuggly, more interested in people...it's so fun to see the difference.<br />I've had lots of friends who had girls while I had boys. I always said, boys and girls are different from the get-go. You are true to form...it's crazy.<br /><br />We're developing a sweet little relationship, you and I. I think you're gonna have a great sense of humor. You laugh when we startle you, you're a great snuggler, you turn and look at my face when I'm holding you, and the thumb sucking, oh the thumb sucking is so cute. You've really started communicating more and I know you're understanding me by how you respond with that sweet little "more" sign and excited, expectant look. You're waving "hi" and "bye", you sing the "mo-oh-oh-oh-orse" part of What Does the Fox Say? (the song I will never be able to un-hear) really, whenever we talk about foxes, or sing the song, or hum the song...it's kinda awesome. You're walking a little bit, but like all the others, you tend to stick to crawling since that's so much quicker. You're still a tiny thing but I'm holding onto the thought that you'll appreciate that down the road. Please appreciate it :).<br /><br />Dressing you is more fun.<br />Thinking about going to get our nails done together is fun.<br />Realizing we'll always be the two girls in a sea of 4 men is fun.<br /><br />I am so excited and proud to be your mom. You make me smile so much every day and I don't take that for granted. I'm thankful for you and especially for your health. You had too many hospital visits in your first year! Stop that. No more. Seriously, we are so thankful for the blessing of overall healthy children.<br /><br />Charli, you've got 5 of us looking out for you, hugging you, trying to feed you, trying to tackle you, and most importantly, loving you. Happy first birthday!<br /><br />Love,<br />Your mom<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/EEvNV0RQwTY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/11/to-sweet-charli-on-your-1st-birthday.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-45062793746819188032013-11-08T14:30:00.000-06:002013-11-08T14:30:00.685-06:00Sam Goes to KindergartenSam's been in kindergarten, at a public school (gasp!) for close to three months now.<div><br /></div><div>It has been so good for him and so hard on me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I struggled a lot with whether or not to send him to public school. Lots of our friends homeschool and have great reason to and that made me seriously consider doing it. For the time being, I decided it isn't the right thing for our family, the whole of us. Schooling is such a personal decision and honestly, it's a really hard one that is often left up to the mom.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I'm the mom, and I went with this decision...with a good bit of wise input from your dad.</div><div><br /></div><div>My top concerns were (1)all the time I would miss being around you and (2)the influence on you from people that I can't know (let alone control). We don't intend to shelter you from the world. We do want to protect you though, especially at a young age. The thinking behind that is that Jesus LOVED the world...that's how He reached them. He didn't completely avoid them. So, we pour into you, we love you, we instruct you, we discipline you, we teach you. Please know, we're doing what we think is best.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back to school.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sam, you seem to love it. You have the sweetest teacher. Mrs. Birdsong even worked at Camp Straight Street, where you got to go last summer. She's kind and enthusiastic and firm and just great. She's an answer to my prayer for a believing teacher for you.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>You're very bright and already reading, so I was afraid you might be bored. You aren't bored! You're learning and excelling and you love riding the bus where you don't have to buckle ;).</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm so proud of you. You're growing up and I'm so proud of you.</div><div>You're so much like your dad, who I love and respect immensely. I love the connection that gives us and the wisdom you'll get from him because of how similar you are.</div><div><br /></div><div>You're rocking at your job. Keep it up, bud!</div><div>Mom</div><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/jJ4vvfw9pxY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/11/sam-goes-to-kindergarten.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-7983019312583907872013-11-07T20:56:00.000-06:002013-11-07T20:56:14.667-06:00To Grey, On Your 4th BirthdaySo, by far my longest stint without blogging.<br />If I were in my early-mid 20s, I'd say, "sorry, not sorry."<br />Since I'm not...in my early-mid 20s, I don't feel the need to apologize, or pseudo-apologize ;).<br /><br />Now, to the real post.<br /><br />Grey,<br />You turned 4 a couple months ago and I'm just now getting around to writing your birthday blog post. Your dad is sick and asleep on the couch. I hate when he's down. BUT, it does afford me some time where I'm the only one awake and I can do important stuff that's been backing up in my head, like type up a couple posts.<br />Anyway.<br />The point of these birthday posts is that, hopefully, you kids will read them one day and it will deepen your understanding of how much I (we) love you. I think it'll also help all of us to remember what "the little years" were like and *accurately* remember if we really loved <i>every</i>&nbsp;second of them. There is SO much to love about this age and about you! You are a sensitive and kind kid. You share so easily and seem to have a generous heart. I adore that about you. I want to be more like that. You're encouraging me to be more like that. You care for others, especially when they're in pain. You're so smart - you've been adding and sounding out letters that start words. And you're just so darn thoughtful. By that, I mean that you're considerate AND you have deep thoughts. I know there is a lot going on in that head and on occasion, you ask questions, deep questions, and I just love that.<br />You're a handsome kid and you like to look nice. I've realized I need to specify that I think YOU are handsome, you, not the clothes you're wearing because you brought that to my attention a few days ago. I love that you care about how you look and whether or not your clothes match. You can pick out a really nice looking outfit with no help from me - that's such a great help!<br />You just recently decided to ride your bike without training wheels. Dad and I have known for a couple months that you could do it. You weren't ready. That's completely fine. I know it's hard to have an older sibling who is so close to you in age. Please always remember that you are just as capable as Sam and we are all on your team. We love getting to encourage you as you learn and try, and even if you fail (we all fail - don't be afraid of it!).<br />Grey, you add so much to our family. You were such a happy baby and you continue to keep us smiling.<br /><br />We love you so SO much! Thanks for all the snuggling and hugs!<br />Mom<br /><br /><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/4vrkFHBQqEw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/11/to-grey-on-your-4th-birthday.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-49855032768927945102013-06-19T07:33:00.000-05:002013-06-19T07:35:48.243-05:00The School of Hard Knocks (Part 3)<br />And Part 3...which did take quite a while for me to post.<br />Sorry.<br /><br />21. Breastfeeding is hard! And it doesn't always work right. Pumping or adding more feedings does not always equal fatter babies/more milk. Drink a bunch of water, eat right, do what you can, and if you need to make any other changes, trust your intuition and just do it. You'll both survive!<br /><br />22. Don't be afraid to wake your babies up during the day to feed them. You won't want to every time. You'll appreciate a few minutes of quiet or a few minutes where you don't feel like you need to entertain them. Train their bio-rhythm and this will help them eat their calories during the day and sleep during the night. This is not cruel. This is helpful to you, your baby, and your whole family. A sleep deprived momma never helped anybody.<br /><br />23. If you're of the scheduling persuasion, you can come back from having a day or two, or a week, where your schedule is all out of whack. Give it about three days and you can get back on track from just about any interruption.<br /><br />24. Kids sharing a room is wonderful. They learn to sleep through so much. It's like they know they don't need to wake up for the sibling screaming in the night...<br /><br />25. Delegate jobs to the kids as they are able to handle them. You may have to totally redo it after them and they may make more of a mess than they clean up, but it will (at least I'm trusting that it will ;)) pay off later.<br /><br />26. Hug your kids first thing every morning. It's easy to get distracted with morning stuff and not even touch them. Kids need physical contact. They need hugs. If you've heard of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Love-Languages-Secret-Lasts/dp/0802473156/ref=sr_sp-atf_image_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1371248073&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+five+love+languages" target="_blank">The Five Love Languages</a>, know there is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-5-Love-Languages-Children/dp/0802403476/ref=sr_sp-atf_image_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1371248093&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+five+love+languages+of+children" target="_blank">one for kids</a> too. Even if one your child's love language isn't quality time or physical touch, your child's love language is quality time and physical touch.<br /><br />And last but not least, in fact, maybe the most important...<br /><br />27. No one has it ALL together.<br /><br />There are things that specifically stand out to&nbsp;<i>you</i>, like well-behaved children in public, or a clean house, a successful blog, or a put-together mom with perfect hair, make-up, and super cute clothes. Whatever areas you feel lacking in, you WILL find another mom who has it together in each of those particular areas. If you take each of those moms, and in your mind, group them into one perfect mom who has it all together, you are setting yourself up for insecurity and great feelings of failure. Remember, you grouped multiple moms into one idea. I promise, none of those moms, alone, has it all together. And honestly, each of those are probably looking at you as someone who has something nailed down that they don't!<br />Find a few things that you have a good handle on. Ask your husband or close friends if you can't come up with something on your own. Then, make a plan of attack to conquer something else!<br /><div><br />As always feel free to add any lessons you've learned in The School of Hard Knocks!<br />(<a href="http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-school-of-hard-knocks-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a>)<br />(<a href="http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-school-of-hard-knocks-part-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a>)</div><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/S1QwMCwGCyU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com1http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-school-of-hard-knocks-part-3.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-19817326689936907192013-05-15T10:15:00.000-05:002013-05-15T10:15:03.174-05:00<br /><div class="post-body entry-content" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><div class="MsoNormal">Bob wrote this to Charli about a year ago and I think it's just the sweetest. Since he blogged last, I decided to go ahead and post it. So, now he's on a roll. Maybe he should just take over...<br /><br />Charli,</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Its 5am Saturday morning on May 12, 2012. We just found out Thursday that you are going to be part of our crazy, noisy, family. I’ve been tossing and turning all night and just can’t seem to sleep. Each time I wake up, thoughts of you pop into my head. Your mother has been pregnant with boys (your older brothers….that sounds so weird to say) for basically the past five years, but all that has changed now. Your mother has a different glow about her now…she’s carrying you…my daughter. I’m still trying to get used to the concept of meeting you, taking care of you, laughing with you, telling boys to quit calling, and buying you too many clothes because you are a picky dresser. However, it’s a situation I’ve been longing to be in the midst of for a long time. <br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When we first found out we were pregnant with you, your brothers weren’t super excited. In fact Sam’s response was “I told you not to get anymore babies.” Since then he has come more accustomed to the idea of having another sibling. I figure we have a few more months to warm him up to the concept of a girl playing with “his” toys. Which by the way, you need to at least act interested in Thomas the Train and the Cars movies if you want to stand a chance in this house! Don’t worry, we can help you blend in and make friends with the three amigos. <br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Most of the time when I think about you I try and envision what our relationship will be like and wonder what you will look like. Sam, Grey, and Bo have all sort of favored looking like me as a baby, so I hope for your sake you look like your mommy. I don’t think me with long hair is gonna make for a cute baby…we’ll see soon enough I guess. Speaking of your mom. You have an amazing role model waiting outside the womb for you. I think she’s scared to have a daughter because all she knows is raising boys, but I have no doubt she’ll do an incredible job caring for you. I only hope for your sake you will realize sooner than later that she is someone you want to be friends with. I think when I picture you in my head, I imagine you with her big brown eyes, some curly brown hair, and maybe some cute chunky baby wrists. The kind of wrists and ankles that look like rubber bands are pinching off your circulation. <br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Everyone tells me that you are going to have me wrapped around your little finger. I don’t think I would disagree with that, and actually am looking forward to it. I love my little boys and the posse that we’ve become, but there is something special about a father and daughter’s relationship. I’m going to train those tres amigos to be your little bodyguards. They can be my eyes and ears on the ground when you are in school and boys are chasing after your heart. You’re lucky to have such sweet older brothers. They all have the heart of your mom and for the most part are extremely loving…you’ll see soon enough<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lastly I want you to know that I’ve prayed for you for a long time. For all logical reasons it would be easier for us if we had another boy, but there is just something inside me that aches to have a daughter.&nbsp; As we sat there in that ultra sound room, there was a split second where I thought we were having another boy and that we’d never get to meet you. I saw something on that screen that in an instant brought disappointment. However, only moments later and after much debate from several technicians, we got word that you are in fact going to be part of our family. Your mom got teary eyed and so did I. My tears only lasted for a split second though because Sam was with us and kept hitting me with his chair…it was a brief, but sweet moment. I’ve thanked God for you many times since then. I look forward to meeting you and welcoming you into this noisy household. In the months to come I will keep praying for you and cannot wait for 10/10/10 to get here. It can’t come soon enough!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Love, your Daddy<br /><br />{So far, no curly brown hair, brown eyes, OR chunky baby wrists, ha! But we love that sweet little bald head, bright blue eyes and chunky thighs!</div></div><div class="post-footer" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 0.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.75em 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"></div><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/XP8eg8KQhz0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com2http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/05/bob-wrote-this-to-charli-about-year-ago.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-84240122123502101102013-05-10T22:13:00.000-05:002013-05-10T22:13:01.912-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ffyQV-PPWCo/UY2xhj5BHuI/AAAAAAAADjU/HBtzRLDTdFY/s1600/2012-11-29_1354231136+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ffyQV-PPWCo/UY2xhj5BHuI/AAAAAAAADjU/HBtzRLDTdFY/s320/2012-11-29_1354231136+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND MOTHER'S DAY GRETA!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div>Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:&nbsp;<span class="versetext" id="pr31-29" style="display: inline;"> "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."&nbsp;&nbsp; Prov 31:28-29</span><br /><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;"></span><br /><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;">Greta always gets the shaft on Mother's Day and her birthday. They usually fall on the same weekend each year. This year should be no different...so I bought Greta some fancy rain boots that she wanted. The right one was for her birthday and the left one was for Mother's Day. Seemed fair to me! Anways, last year I <a href="http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/02/for-greta.html" target="_blank">guest posted</a> here and probably set the bar to high for my future endeavors, but I figured I would give it another shot. </span><br /><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jqFwOsL0owQ/UY21YOZTJqI/AAAAAAAADjg/t3--aDA85tY/s1600/2013-01-22_1358877010+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jqFwOsL0owQ/UY21YOZTJqI/AAAAAAAADjg/t3--aDA85tY/s320/2013-01-22_1358877010+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;"></span></div><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;">I am continually amazed at how well this woman loves me and my family. Since my last post we have added our 4th child, the 1st girl, Charli. She is awesome! I've wanted a girl since we began building a family...and i love that little lady! Greta does an incredible job being a mom to this family. Greta has handled the transition from&nbsp;3 to 4 kids effortlessly.&nbsp;Each day&nbsp;I "get" the opportunity to leave the house. I am typically gone from 630am to pm. In that timeframe she somehow manages to shuttle the kids to and from school, play with our kids, nurse an infant, do laundry for 6 people (4 of which soil themselves on a regular basis), and cook a fabulous meal each night. It truly is unbelievable. People on twitter and facebook are probably tired of hearing me rant about her greatness....sorry!</span><br /><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;"></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dqSANcVW0TM/UY21eZ91mHI/AAAAAAAADjo/3Q3JbL5VTHo/s1600/2012-09-02_1346606939+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dqSANcVW0TM/UY21eZ91mHI/AAAAAAAADjo/3Q3JbL5VTHo/s200/2012-09-02_1346606939+(2).jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;"></span></div><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;"></span><br /><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;">I knew when we got married in 2004 that God had given me the perfect partner, but i think it is only recently that i really have began to appreciate all her qualities. Trust me...having four kids 5 and under...is insane. And by insane, i mean loud, stinky, crazy, etc. I am regularly stressed out by the noise my kids make as they run circles&nbsp;around me&nbsp;in public pooping themselves. Meanwhile Greta is cool as a cucumber. It truly does take two people to make this house a family...and I love my other half. </span><br /><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;"></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UuuFybQ2pRk/UY22Hyx4TFI/AAAAAAAADjw/bShXSabpyoE/s1600/SAM_7706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UuuFybQ2pRk/UY22Hyx4TFI/AAAAAAAADjw/bShXSabpyoE/s400/SAM_7706.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;"></span><br /><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;"></span><br /><span class="versetext" style="display: inline;">I've said it before and I'll say it again...Greta has a thankless job. She handles it with great grace and poise and her kids and I are extremely blessed to have her. I feel bad for all the people that dont know her well...because they are truly missing out. Thanks for loving us so well babe! Thanks for being the rock of this house and showing our children the love of Christ on a daily basis. </span><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/0XCEHl6mnvM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com2http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/05/happy-birthday-and-mothers-day-greta.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-32918888331533832382013-05-01T15:14:00.003-05:002013-06-19T07:33:32.444-05:00The School of Hard Knocks (Part 2)11. If you're wavering about whether or not to take your kid to the doctor on a Friday, do it. In my humble opinion, your peace of mind over the weekend is worth the $35 copay.<br /><br />12. Repeating yourself, concerning instructions, will only frustrate you. Yes, it's tiring to get up and go through the whole discipline scenario. Yes, it's inconvenient if your kids need a spanking right in the middle of dinner, or while you're at someone else's house, or while you're trying to do something fun for them. The quicker you take action, the less chance you have of becoming angry. Toddlers especially, understand action much more clearly than your lengthy explanation. Take the emotion out of it!<br /><br />13. If you have a second child, while this child is still an infant and your older child/children need you, help them first. They will remember being neglected for the baby...the baby will not remember it.<br /><br />14. With each additional child, you probably need to add 10 minutes to your "it'll take this long to get out of the house" estimate. Kids have a propensity for pooping and losing shoes riiiiight as you're trying to walk out the door.<br /><br />15. On that note, if you are getting frustrated because one kid loses a shoe, then another kid poops, then another kid wants a drink, and all you want to do is get out of the stinkin' house to take them to the playground with enough time so you can unload them and let them play without them whining about not getting to stay long enough, stop and take a breath. To you, they are acting as one big frustrating unit. They're individuals. Typically, <i>typically</i>, they are not conspiring against you, although I promise, it will feel like they are, a lot of the time! Try not to be frustrated by the sheer amount of needs and/or demands. Try not to let them pile up into one big assault on you. Try to take care of one thing at a time. And take a deep breath.<br /><br />16. Anything you can do to prepare for the next day, the night before, will benefit you greatly. Fill up cups the night before. Make lunches the night before. Lay out clothes the night before. I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, but I can stay up late with the best of them. Why not be proactive!?<br /><br />17. And speaking of staying up late. Don't. At some point, for me, it was with 3 kids (and its coming around after the 4th starting to sleep through the night), you will realize you need to change your schedule and you can't operate any longer on what comes naturally. Trust me, I've pushed this for as long as possible. Held out much later than I should have. Naturally, I am a night person. Do I still stay up later than I should? Sure. Do I pay for it the next day? Yes! I can most easily change myself by going to sleep earlier. I cannot make the kids sleep later in the morning. (Many days, the only chance I get to work out or read my Bible, is if I get up earlier than the kids to do it.)<br /><br />18. The first year we had a kid go to preschool, there was so much sickness in our house! They're exposed to all kinds of stuff and will expose other kids in the house to the same. It's OK, it's stuff they'll encounter sooner or later. Be ready for it though. If they don't go to any type of school before kindergarten, it'll come then. Go immune systems, go!<br /><br />19. Be reminded that so much of childhood is a phase. The good and the bad. Your kid gets out of bed 12 times to go to the bathroom before they go to sleep? It'll end. That sweet little toddler cries and cries when you leave them in the nursery or with a babysitter? That'll end too. Those precious, mispronounced words? They'll be corrected. The crazy? The crazy ebbs and flows, but I think it's like contractions...just when you think you can't handle another second, there is some relief.<br /><br />20. Accept help. I love to help people but it's really hard for me to accept help. As soon as I realize I'm allowing people to do something they already want to do, it becomes much easier. Also, with so many people to care for, I <i>cannot do it all</i> on my own...that has helped me learn to accept help too. Leave it up to other people. If they offer, take them up on it. If they really didn't want to help, they just won't offer again!<br /><br />I've got one more point that'll be the start of Part 3. However, if too much time elapses before I can compile some other points, it'll stand alone as the finale :).<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/vdEpy9vhFt4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com6http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-school-of-hard-knocks-part-2.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-27101405239556085012013-04-29T10:32:00.002-05:002013-06-19T07:33:48.091-05:00The School of Hard Knocks (Part 1)I'm talking about parenting.<br />I've only been at this for a little over 5 years and it is hard, y'all. It's hard emotionally, and it can be hard physically, from pregnancy to wrestling and bruises with unknown origins.<br /><br />I don't have all the answers, I doubt you do either, but here are a few things I've learned through a bunch of trail and error. Heck, I haven't even really learned all of these, a lot of them I am still learning. If you have something to add, please do!<br /><br />1. Noise is just that...usually. If you can learn to block it out, or listen selectively, you can handle a lot more chaos.<br /><br />2. A well-fed and well-rested child is a much happier child. Too many times I've been perplexed by cranky, irrational children, only to later realize they're hungry or they didn't nap well and got to bed late. This is a nasty cycle. Once they miss a little sleep, their bodies seem to think they need less the next time too. Override this. You're the boss.<br /><br />3. Momma's attitude can steer the whole house. Believe it or not, people take their cues from Mom - probably unconsciously. When I'm stressed and freaking out, it affects everyone. If I'm calm and relaxed, other people trust that things are under control and can be calm and relaxed too.<br /><br />4. Mother's intuition is a real thing. I am with my kids more than anyone else. I am privy to things I don't even consciously pay attention to - runny noses, good/bad attitudes, subtle comments, flippant requests. All of that contributes to mother's intution.<br /><br />5. Kids can always understand more than they can communicate to you. I've been reminded of this with each child so far. Apparently it's a hard lesson to accept.<br /><br />6. Children are the best mirror you'll ever have. If you want to hear how your tone of voice sounds, listen to your kids. Want to hear which words you should stop using, listen to your kids. Curious as to which phrases you use frequently, listen to your kids. This doesn't just apply to speech. Do your kids respond in anger immediately? Do they hug a lot? Mirrors don't always show us what we want to see but, man, they are helpful tools!<br /><br />7. Kids will eat what they need to eat (barring some medical issue). So many times I've worried about how much food and what kinds of food my kids should be eating. They'll eat what they need to, it just might not be at meal times always. And also, offering healthy choices can ease some of that anxiety. There's a reason they're called growth spurts. Some days you'll feel like your kids are eating you out of house and home, then you notice they've grown 2 inches. Other days, you'll wonder what in the heck fuels all their energy since they've only had a 1/2 a banana and 4 animal crackers, oh and they only slept about 7 hours the night before.<br /><br />8. The sooner you accept that you will not sleep through the night, maybe ever again, the happier you will be. Keeping track of how often you got up during the middle of the night serves no purpose. If you are just curious and can laugh about it, go for it. If you are getting bitter, quit counting! And different kids have different "sleep personalities." Got a deep sleeper? Awesome, they probably wet the bed on occasion. Got a light sleeper? Awesome, they probably love when you come to snuggle after a bad dream (and they will probably <i>never</i>&nbsp;wet the bed ;)).<br /><br />9. It is ok to choose to spend time playing with your kids instead of picking up toys, emptying the dishwasher, doing laundry, etc. The mess will always come back. Seriously...it always comes back. It's all about time management. Which investment will produce the most reward? Picking up toys that will be pulled back out in 5 minutes, or sitting down to color or run trains on the track with my boys? I promise they will feel more loved when you leave those toys out ;).<br /><br />10. To follow up with that last point, remember your spouse. Honor your spouse by taking care of things that are important to them. That is your first family priority...not your kids.<br /><br />Come back for Part 2!<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/DswCOEh2808" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com5http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-school-of-hard-knocks-part-1.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-40030858735980483852013-04-03T14:16:00.000-05:002013-04-03T14:16:00.434-05:004 Months & 5 Months–CharliSigh…<br />This sweet little one is just over 5 months old, what a fun age! She continues to draw attention and admiration from everyone in the family, <em>especially</em> the boys. She is so cute, smiles freely, and loves to snuggle. She sleeps pretty well and goes with the flow real easily (which often means missing naps…which lends itself to some fussy times but who can blame her? I don’t like missing naps either!)<br />Some shots from 4 months…<br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-o2sLI77UnSE/UVEExV2teHI/AAAAAAAADf8/MckgQMRkJ-Q/s1600-h/reclining%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="reclining" border="0" height="406" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8sdYGSRbYxQ/UVEExzFkYuI/AAAAAAAADgE/WwzisoZNXms/reclining_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="reclining" width="275" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YeZVJn-_7e0/UVEEyH-KbDI/AAAAAAAADgM/_rO8MDnADiM/s1600-h/4%252520months%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="4 months" border="0" height="409" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-o2aYIbQEUTI/UVEEygvv1zI/AAAAAAAADgU/N5rRlSTiR1A/4%252520months_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="4 months" width="275" /></a><br />Bo got in on this photo shoot. Such a sweet little guy…<br /><br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mBhxf7QX0zM/UVEEzMpZENI/AAAAAAAADgc/Xv8KK8p9eIs/s1600-h/sweet%252520bo%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="sweet bo" border="0" height="410" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zhv53CzQFO4/UVEEzQwV20I/AAAAAAAADgk/F8Mp9OzeIIo/sweet%252520bo_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="sweet bo" width="269" /></a><br />And some from 5…<br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PcYE45PnuRs/UVEEzxvX1zI/AAAAAAAADgs/KT81K1VaMdA/s1600-h/5%252520months%252520-%252520smiley%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="5 months - smiley" border="0" height="454" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BOtQLySQTOE/UVEE0JvT8RI/AAAAAAAADg0/FtC8k5ryhtU/5%252520months%252520-%252520smiley_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="5 months - smiley" width="294" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pExdA2bUfbQ/UVEE0v6BqkI/AAAAAAAADg8/DLsm3ZY9i7w/s1600-h/eatin%252527%252520feet%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="eatin' feet" border="0" height="451" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rbBcHXtRNR0/UVEE1O742EI/AAAAAAAADhA/zsB7J5LIyJA/eatin%252527%252520feet_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="eatin' feet" width="296" /></a><br />A little scary, a lot cute…<br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HPrMuqqE1Oc/UVEE1grzIEI/AAAAAAAADhI/QmaxJyQJMr0/s1600-h/5%252520Months%252520-%252520scary%252520smile%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="5 Months - scary smile" border="0" height="277" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-b_Lk3et02Co/UVEE12H-pAI/AAAAAAAADhQ/1EEttbROli8/5%252520Months%252520-%252520scary%252520smile_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="5 Months - scary smile" width="401" /></a><br />Charli, you’re a teensy little thing. In fact, I’m banking on you not even being on the charts when we go in for your 6 month check-up. You look and seem totally great though – just tiny. What’s up?! We started solids, namely avocado, peas, squash and sweet potatoes. You eye everything we’re eating, grab at it and have taken to eating just fine! You also make it real easy to know when you’re full…cue the fussing and whipping your head side to side. Clear communication. I like it.<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/6RFP48FUwkQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com12http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/04/4-months-5-monthscharli.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-41529356411030456872013-03-05T11:06:00.000-06:002013-03-05T11:06:03.444-06:00The Girls’ TeamBeing in a house full of testosterone, Charli and I have to stick together.<br /> I present to you….The Girls’ Team.<br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VCneVs4OK2Y/UTYj-D013tI/AAAAAAAADeg/GnnecdoX9Qk/s1600-h/SAM_8536%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_8536" border="0" height="496" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9KzYujHawdI/UTYj-yuI0bI/AAAAAAAADeo/NhldWNBcYxU/SAM_8536_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_8536" width="317" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xsDrv2bEbiA/UTYj_0AD7VI/AAAAAAAADew/meZEEdjt0sI/s1600-h/SAM_8551%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_8551" border="0" height="495" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aqvKhzNbGKk/UTYkAWrI40I/AAAAAAAADe4/iMVS3FKK_sQ/SAM_8551_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_8551" width="312" /></a>&nbsp; <br /><br />Oh, you know how everyone is “showing their real?” <br /><em>(To the grandparents, and others who have no idea what that means, it’s basically an effort to not sugarcoat your life as you show it through pictures on social media.)</em> <br />Here we are, unedited. Neither of us have on make-up and Charli has bathed more recently than I have. She also has fancier pajamas. In my opinion, those eyes and a smile cover a multitude of poor hygiene sins.<br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eF_eoW4vXnA/UTYkBcZomrI/AAAAAAAADfA/ZhSVHnYSUgY/s1600-h/SAM_8560%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_8560" border="0" height="487" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fAQVRvCU13A/UTYkBxIk0oI/AAAAAAAADfI/XOp2hDjYKDo/SAM_8560_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_8560" width="308" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-v26NvHhu6vU/UTYkCngD9pI/AAAAAAAADfQ/ztk3WusF06E/s1600-h/SAM_8566%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_8566" border="0" height="485" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TD74U0A7-kU/UTYkDPvxTdI/AAAAAAAADfY/itbx6C5pDeo/SAM_8566_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_8566" width="314" /></a><br /><br />And yes, we’re just gonna brush on by the fact that I don’t actually blog anymore. You can thank <a href="https://twitter.com/gretacarter">Twitter</a>, Instagram (greta_carter), and our four kids for that. <br /><br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-frFJTI3mLzI/UTYkECC--YI/AAAAAAAADfg/9PiQPOqrHqY/s1600-h/SAM_8573%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_8573" border="0" height="251" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Q43vi3OUkjg/UTYkEU1VNiI/AAAAAAAADfo/j_5jz2kbc6k/SAM_8573_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_8573" width="357" /></a><br /><br />Whut?<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/KKapstl2ZWA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com5http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-girls-team.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-34500757133334290462013-01-28T21:04:00.000-06:002013-01-28T21:04:00.710-06:003 Months–CharliI apologize for the lack of posting.<br />As I tell Sam allllll…the….time, people before things. In this case, the people are all these children someone left at my house ;)&nbsp;and the blog is the thing.<br /><br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-BW_weZC7fQM/UQc7WS7hzNI/AAAAAAAADdY/Ga7qjWH10SU/s1600-h/3%252520Months%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="3 Months" height="464" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qp9hDtAE5Es/UQc7Xkd3btI/AAAAAAAADdg/Txe9Nwj1xlc/3%252520Months_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="3 Months" width="305" /></a><br /><br />Little Char, oh how we love you. I think we’re all pretty taken by the tiny female that is you. You’re so, so sweet. You give smiles away like you should, like there is no end to them. You’re ticklish all over. I mean all over. And when babies are 3 months old and they get tickled, the laugh is involuntary and super awkward sounding, but still so wonderful.<br /><br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sWTuKPowktg/UQc7YlBkRvI/AAAAAAAADdo/ASS9XTuyNbw/s1600-h/Happy%252520happy%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Happy happy" height="466" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9yMlvL7HhLQ/UQc7Z2FGLbI/AAAAAAAADdw/UY_7kmea3js/Happy%252520happy_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Happy happy" width="300" /></a><br /><br />You’ll just sit in our laps, still. That’s new to us. Bo has been the most snuggly and still baby yet, but you’re knocking it out of the park. We have high hopes for lots of snuggly times with you.<br />I remember, with each baby, how magical 3 months is. You want to be around people. You cry SO much less. We’ve gotten into a nice little routine and so far, you are pretty go with the flow with a side of drama.<br /><br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Kty9HpgpaKI/UQc7bxjqcyI/AAAAAAAADd4/wUXq1TuqY6U/s1600-h/attitude%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="attitude" height="329" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eTF1ecAQTl8/UQc7cgFvXaI/AAAAAAAADeA/SHOrYLo0Yqw/attitude_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="attitude" width="413" /></a><br /><br />We love you baby girl! Thanks for staying out of the hospital this month.<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/Ku8ZKSpyAZc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com3http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2013/01/3-monthscharli.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-12389858897356028922012-12-18T10:18:00.000-06:002012-12-18T10:18:03.395-06:00Torturing Everyone to Get Some Good Photos<div align="center">We had our annual family photo shoot a month or so ago.&nbsp; It was crazy, if you can imagine. <div align="center">Here are a few… <div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rDZp5p9qV0U/UNCWHfizusI/AAAAAAAADY0/2mfGO524gJ8/s1600-h/-7%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-7" border="0" height="322" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8rsQj84Nkxo/UNCWJDCN6kI/AAAAAAAADY8/P6XpDoErHl8/-7_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-7" width="461" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nbG2naalbZY/UNCWM3c0orI/AAAAAAAADZE/uhdP05gTA-0/s1600-h/-12%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-12" border="0" height="323" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yA5wSxf0M6Y/UNCWOfGS0QI/AAAAAAAADZM/aiOMw60VHgw/-12_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-12" width="468" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_T3prIGXRAI/UNCWREkU8hI/AAAAAAAADZU/D8LKZdO3jF8/s1600-h/-15%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-15" border="0" height="321" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3F9ybtSZI_M/UNCWSM5cG4I/AAAAAAAADZc/nRWPotNWvEA/-15_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-15" width="465" /></a></div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NwvP0ehi4GU/UNCWT3jSyXI/AAAAAAAADZk/i78_u3vmrIM/s1600-h/-23%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-23" border="0" height="434" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7XeUaRimQ_c/UNCWUpb2cZI/AAAAAAAADZs/QlweOBhhj10/-23_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-23" width="285" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-do2z6Xnc4rw/UNCWV3RGVwI/AAAAAAAADZ0/xR-VTuThhjw/s1600-h/-28%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-28" border="0" height="434" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-crJVyXL_YyQ/UNCWX9LWE5I/AAAAAAAADZ8/1sw96SYe77w/-28_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-28" width="281" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Vi-cM6xUOH0/UNCWZ203WlI/AAAAAAAADaE/_ts1AAqTGEw/s1600-h/-32%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-32" border="0" height="432" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-D4n3pTTX7oU/UNCWbJ-dg9I/AAAAAAAADaM/-lxX-wnM5pw/-32_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-32" width="280" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-D7C74h3g87I/UNCWcUZmzhI/AAAAAAAADaU/q4D6HQGrRxU/s1600-h/-25%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-25" border="0" height="435" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wVXT8sBTC3U/UNCWdxJ2wYI/AAAAAAAADac/BUsXwAWNJBs/-25_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-25" width="279" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VQ_SgNB0Fso/UNCWgAra-1I/AAAAAAAADak/qm5BdT0JmX8/s1600-h/-30%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-30" border="0" height="436" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nSCDpez1Bp4/UNCWhRWTRiI/AAAAAAAADas/RqqauVRJT5c/-30_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-30" width="279" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rCj_4HlM0EI/UNCWj534JPI/AAAAAAAADa0/eLVdDbVn9W4/s1600-h/-36%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-36" border="0" height="433" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9wVQYBS7V0o/UNCWkwWu67I/AAAAAAAADa8/pvATLJ80dFA/-36_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-36" width="277" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jNylykd-f1s/UNCWm54rUBI/AAAAAAAADbE/Uj3f-MaRWtE/s1600-h/-3%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-3" border="0" height="413" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ABJRu2sQhg8/UNCWoO7dpEI/AAAAAAAADbM/S6S32hanpGo/-3_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-3" width="298" /></a></div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-moiUeYFZl3c/UNCWqEL-IZI/AAAAAAAADbU/ZhlimzT3N8s/s1600-h/-42%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-42" border="0" height="411" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MejkuXabwt4/UNCWq9v8FyI/AAAAAAAADbc/z3XPL8qDp1M/-42_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-42" width="288" /></a></div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WGRuowONP_c/UNCWtktMTyI/AAAAAAAADbk/uVAh_OwiYQw/s1600-h/-39%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="-39" border="0" height="378" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0QvCZU4fWCo/UNCWvOG3M_I/AAAAAAAADbs/bmR50m7H_-o/-39_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="-39" width="500" /></a></div><div align="center">I absolutely love the shots she got of Bob with each of the kids and me with each of them. As most moms know, it's pretty difficult to get in pictures with your kids, especially when you aren't wearing pajamas and spit up. That's probably a large part of why I love these so much.</div><div align="center">Thanks <a href="http://mandyphoto.net/">Mandy</a>, for being patient with us and capturing some great shots! <div align="center">If you need some awesome shots, I know Mandy would love to work with you. You can see some more of her work <a href="http://mandyphoto.net/">here</a>. </div><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/cXpWfkUOo18" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com3http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/12/torturing-everyone-to-get-some-good.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-24136692687831723032012-12-17T21:18:00.000-06:002012-12-17T21:23:55.849-06:00Charli–1 Month and 2 MonthsThis sweet little thing is fitting in just right with our rough and tumble family. It’s amazing how much easier it’s been going from 3 kids to 4, versus going from 2 to 3. Everyone who said that was the case, spoke the truth. Thankfully.<br /><br />I’m amazed by how gently the boys are with Charli, for the most part. I’d say they were pretty much obsessed with her for the first 2 or 3 weeks, always wanting to hold her, asking if they could feed her, acting shocked every time she moved or opened her eyes. It’s been so much fun seeing them be excited about her.<br /><br />Grey especially loves to care for things. In the past, he’s been the dad (and mom) to his stuffed animals, or as he calls them, his babies. He’s also the one who told us, in the sweetest little voice, “I wish we had a pet… I wish we could have a puppy.” Break my heart! That, friends, is how people end up with pets they don’t actually want. I finally communicated to him that we got an infant, we don’t need a pet. I think he bought it, for now. <br /><br />All the boys comment on how cute Charli is and how sweet she is. She’s smiling a ton now too and I can’t wait for them to realize they can make her smile and laugh too!<br /><br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SG7sSfz-jnI/UM_b31VnO7I/AAAAAAAADXg/xfT9RDjVvqs/s1600-h/Charli%2525201%252520month%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Charli 1 month" border="0" height="404" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-cZKejnM-4u0/UM_b4lSyP5I/AAAAAAAADXo/JLHbjWmOyvY/Charli%2525201%252520month_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Charli 1 month" width="303" /></a><br />Charli’s almost 7 weeks now so I’m obviously a little late in posting this 1 month update. I’ll try to make sure the updates correspond with her age though since I’ll, most definitely, be late getting them up all the time.<br /><br />I always forget how little newborns are. I mean, thankfully they’re small, but it’s still a shock to remember just <em>how</em> small they are. I’m trying to soak up every little ounce of the tiny baby phase, since yes, this was our last planned pregnancy. I don’t expect to experience this again. It’s definitely difficult at times, when she just won’t get settled and I can tell she’s in pain. Like her brothers, Charli has been quite gassy. I hate that. It’s so hard to see such a tiny thing be in such pain and not be able to help them feel better. Plus, it’s really hard to listen to all the crying and not be able to fix it. Honestly. <br /><br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wtiBtcBeHUI/UM_b5w49BjI/AAAAAAAADXw/FSQNeg4GNio/s1600-h/charli%252520gas%252520pain%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="charli gas pain" border="0" height="474" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7c1Zv47eQPU/UM_b6XuEk5I/AAAAAAAADX4/TyYy1zVCr08/charli%252520gas%252520pain_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="charli gas pain" width="311" /></a><br />Charli is sweet, snuggly, and petite. She has small hands, long fingers, curly eyelashes, and looks a lot like a feminine, newborn Sam. She sleeps great with lots of noise (as I’m typing this, the boys are playing/screaming right around her and she’s rocking away and sleeping in the swing). <br /><br />Bob is completely in love with her, too. It is a different kind of blessing to see him with a daughter. I mean it is a huge blessing to me to see how he fathers the boys and to think how his interactions with them will shape them as men, later in life. I didn’t really expect it to seem different to watch him with a daughter, but it does, already.<br /><br />True to form, I’m even later posting this than I thought I would be. Time to just round it out with a 2 month update too.<br /><div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5yLLygtJeVM/UM_b72A-txI/AAAAAAAADYA/Cv0X7xtJLPk/s1600-h/2%252520Months%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2 Months" border="0" height="454" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-VS_4yP6bMX4/UM_b8vVL46I/AAAAAAAADYI/IjKZXClSkUY/2%252520Months_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2 Months" width="320" /></a></div>In Charli’s short little life, she has made a trip to the NICU, which ended up being more precautionary than anything annnnd a trip to the ER. Both of those resulted in a few nights spent in the hospital slash special bonding time for me and my girl. Trying to look on the bright side here, folks. It really was nice to get to focus so much attention on her and hold her so much without any competing responsibilities. Of course, it would’ve been nice to have that without the medical scariness and bills, but it was nice nonetheless.<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tNZ0sMk-lU4/UM_b92Euz5I/AAAAAAAADYQ/y0no8j_5jfA/s1600-h/sassy%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="sassy" border="0" height="359" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YNMHFulSAX4/UM_b--d9IEI/AAAAAAAADYY/BXOSFhYH53Y/sassy_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="sassy" width="333" /></a></div>Charli, we love ya! <img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/b65_RQeZU6M" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com2http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/12/charli1-month-and-2-months.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-18916293093640098492012-12-17T18:18:00.001-06:002012-12-17T18:18:30.791-06:00A Warhead for GreyTo be fair, I warned him a few times before I actually started filming.<br />“You won’t like it…it’s too sour,” I told him.<br />“I really don’t think you’ll like it, but if you want to try it, you can.”<br />And he did.<br />And I was on the phone, filming him at the same time.<br /><div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:31c81b61-395c-420d-ace5-12804af0b9ca" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div id="61e9002d-4b41-43b7-a289-102459a221af" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOOOX9T8dFM" target="_new"><img alt="" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('61e9002d-4b41-43b7-a289-102459a221af'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = &quot;&lt;div&gt;&lt;object width=\&quot;448\&quot; height=\&quot;277\&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=\&quot;movie\&quot; value=\&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/uOOOX9T8dFM?hl=en&amp;hd=1\&quot;&gt;&lt;\/param&gt;&lt;embed src=\&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/uOOOX9T8dFM?hl=en&amp;hd=1\&quot; type=\&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash\&quot; width=\&quot;448\&quot; height=\&quot;277\&quot;&gt;&lt;\/embed&gt;&lt;\/object&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;&quot;;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ET_QmB2zze8/UM-x4c79ENI/AAAAAAAADXE/N6Qv5XVZqQw/video1556d28242a7%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" /></a></div></div></div><br />This is why I can’t talk on the phone.<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/9aKiD1CB5Nw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com2http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-warhead-for-grey.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-45833073652948937262012-11-22T12:56:00.000-06:002012-11-22T12:58:24.901-06:00Thankful {Days 21 & 22}<div class="_3-6"><div><div class="uiTypeaheadView PlacesTypeaheadView hidden_elem" id="u8ohoo815" style="width: 448px;"><div id="u8ohoo810"><span class="userContent">Thankful {Day 21}I'm thankful for the generosity of everyone who has brought us meals over the last few weeks. I haven't needed to cook in forever!<br /> <br /> Thankful {Day 22} I'm thankful for the smell of a real Christmas tree and that Bob will put up with all the needles! #ocd</span></div></div><div id="u8ohoo81"><input autocomplete="off" id="u8ohoo82" name="is_explicit_place" type="hidden" /><br /></div><div id="u8ohoo83"><input autocomplete="off" id="u8ohoo84" name="composertags_place" type="hidden" /><br /></div><div id="u8ohoo85"><input autocomplete="off" id="u8ohoo86" name="composertags_place_name" type="hidden" /><br /></div><div id="u8ohoo87"><input autocomplete="off" id="u8ohoo88" name="composer_session_id" type="hidden" value="1353610395" /><br /></div></div></div><div class="_4y"><div class="clearfix"><div class="_3-7 lfloat"><div><div class="lfloat" id="u8ohoo826"><a aria-label="Tag people in your post" class="_4p _4q" data-gt="{&quot;composer&quot;:{&quot;comp&quot;:&quot;people&quot;,&quot;ua_id&quot;:&quot;composer:post&quot;}}" href="https://www.facebook.com/#" id="u8ohoo827"></a><br /></div><div class="lfloat" id="u8ohoo828"><a aria-label="Set the date and time of your post" class="_4p _t7" href="https://www.facebook.com/#" id="u8ohoo829"></a><br /></div><div class="lfloat" id="u8ohoo830"><div class="_6a _zg _4p" id="u8ohoo831"><a aria-label="Add a location to post" class="_y9" href="https://www.facebook.com/#" id="u8ohoo832"><span class="_ya"></span></a><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/CzQZv9LfMPo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-days-21-22.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-20703526877113060302012-11-20T22:05:00.000-06:002012-11-20T22:05:15.577-06:00Thankful {Days 16-20}{Day 16} I'm thankful Bob and I still really love being together!<br /><br />{Day 17} I'm thankful for his and my good health...that we're not in and out of hospitals.<br /><br />{Day 18} I'm thankful the leaves change colors, and for a drive to Tennessee where I can enjoy so many of them.<br /><br />{Day 19} I'm thankful for TV and&nbsp;it's free babysitting quality. There, I said it.<br /><br />{Day 20} I'm thankful for Bo, his happy little spirit and his angry bird temper ;).<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/orGkXKdBVCo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-days-16-20.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-41382593917866143092012-11-16T12:03:00.001-06:002012-11-20T22:06:26.283-06:00Thankful {Days 14 & 15}Thankful {Day 14} I'm thankful for my gigantic washer and dryer. They make laundry bearable. Thankful{Day 15} I'm thankful for the perspective I've gotten about Christ as a baby by having a newborn around Christmas time, 3 times now. <img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/x-GukA9QZDQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-days-14-15.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-1743814727949973762012-11-13T21:43:00.003-06:002012-11-20T22:06:07.652-06:00Thankful {Days 10 & 11}Somehow I missed putting these up on the blog.<br /><br />Thankful<br />{Day 10} I'm thankful for my minivan and the space it provides. Never thought i'd say that...<br /><br />{Day 11} I'm thankful Bob gets the boys up, fed, and clothed on the weekends!<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/AUMzcQBll7c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com1http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-days-10-11.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-67693712894907255122012-11-13T21:41:00.001-06:002012-11-20T22:06:16.172-06:00Thankful {Days 12 & 13}Thankful<br />{Day 12} I'm thankful that Bob's and my parents live so close by. We love that the kids have the grandparents so closely involved in their lives! We also REALLY appreciate their help with the kiddos when we need some time alone!<br /><br />{Day 13} I'm thankful for Target (that there's one so close to my house) and those darn little red tags.<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/7KSnwaqchRA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-days-12-13.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-76015007063105673522012-11-09T17:07:00.000-06:002012-11-20T22:05:58.221-06:00Thankful {Days 8 & 9}<br />{Day 8} I'm thankful for my hair straightener, as frivolous as that is.<br /><br />{Day 9} I'm thankful that I have jeans in lots of sizes. Postpartum bodies are so weird!<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/GyrU83UyV7w" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-days-8-9.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-39127183573437515892012-11-07T21:48:00.003-06:002012-11-07T21:48:44.203-06:00Charli’s Birth Story<div style="text-align: justify;">Here’s my birth story caveat: </div><div style="text-align: justify;">***Fair Warning - This is long and may contain some details you think fall in the too much information category. Also, forgive me if you find any typos or if things just don't really flow or make sense...I'm tired.*** <br /><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tuesday, the 16th, I went in for my 41 week check-up. Yes, 41 weeks, which would make this my third pregnancy to go past my due date. If you’ve never gone post-due, you may not know what your mind can do to you. You, or at least, I, <em>actually</em> start to doubt if labor will ever begin. Of course, the logical portion of my brain knows the baby will come out…it’s just the whole wondering if labor will actually ever start or if my body will have to be jolted into it with pitocin. That’s the worst part about going past your due date, if you ask me. So, at my appointment, I had a non-stress test, an ultrasound, then met with my doctor. During this ultrasound, they estimated Charli’s weight at 7 lbs., 6 oz. (Dr. Edwards estimated 7 1/2 – 8 lbs.) and that’s the closest they’ve ever been on a weight estimate! Way to go u/s tech, computers, and Dr. Edwards!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moving on…<br /><br />Throughout this pregnancy, I thought Charli would come early. Again, I let myself fall into the ridiculous thinking that, in this case, it’s my fourth child, surely my body doesn’t wanna hang on so long this time. I also felt like I nested a lot more than I did with the boys, and earlier. So, for whatever reason, I let myself think she was coming early. Obviously, she did not. <br /><br />Knowing I was going to the doctor and that he would, most likely, sweep my membranes (which put me into labor with Sam and Bo), I figured the chances of me going into labor that night were pretty high. I went ahead and asked my parents to spend the night just in case…to avoid having to decide whether or not to have them come over, what time to come over, a late night call, etc. They happily obliged and I’m so glad they did. Having childcare in place made the logistics of laboring at home and leaving to go to the hospital so much easier!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;Over the previous&nbsp;weekend, I had some random and sporadic contractions. As in, I’d have 4 in an hour and then they’d stop, each night I’d have one or two that woke me up, and throughout the day, I’d have a few here and there. The closest I’ve ever had to prodromal labor, if you want to call it that, was a couple hours of consistent contractions about a couple weeks before Bo was born. Needless to say, having contractions like that is really frustrating. They’re not very painful, uncomfortable and different than Braxton Hicks but not very painful. The irritating part is that you get your hopes up that you’re actually going into labor…and then they stop. Then you wake up at night and think, “oh! is this it?!” and then nothing. Not my idea of fun.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The only good thing about those random and sporadic contractions was that they were dilating me, just a leeeetle bit, but they were working nonetheless. I was 2 1/2-3 cm at my appointment Tuesday and had been about 2 cm&nbsp;the Thursday before. My thoughts always go to, that’s great, I’ve got 7 to go during labor and then we can get this kid out!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;After my appointment, we headed home&nbsp;and tried to go about business as usual all the while, keeping in mind that labor could start at any minute. Gotta love planning for something that may or may not happen. Anyway, I think we got home around noon and I told myself if nothing was happening by 2 or so, I was just gonna go about the rest of the evening like it wasn’t going to happen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I laid down around 3:00 to try and take a nap but woke up shortly&nbsp;after that&nbsp;to some very light contractions which continued for about an hour and half but stayed about 13-15 minutes apart and were only lasting 40 seconds or so. I reminded myself that was a far cry from where I needed to be and those contractions probably weren’t even making much of a difference (trying not to get my hopes up). I texted <a href="http://lifeanditsbeginning.blogspot.com/">Melissa</a>, my sweet friend who volunteered to doula for us, to let her know what was going on. It was so reassuring to have someone more knowledgeable than myself, who has been to quite a few more births. She was such a great encourager, even through the weeks leading up to labor. Every time I’d update her on my doctor’s appointments, she only had encouraging things to say. This is priceless, people. You have enough people, unknowingly, giving discouraging comments. I really, really appreciated knowing that she knew how I was feeling, being able to laugh with her, and have her&nbsp;celebrate even the smallest move my body would make towards labor. Thanks again, Melissa!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So the contractions stayed about like that until around 8 p.m. Now, I did have a few that were much closer together and a little longer, and then I’d have one that was about 20 minutes later. Contractions are so weird. It’d be helpful if, once they started they would continue, and if they would just stay consistent! Between about 8 and 9, the contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart and lasting 45 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes. Bob, my parents, and I were all sitting in the living room quasi-watching the Presidential debate. I say quasi because I could feel all eyes on me…especially when they could tell I was having a contraction. Nothing like being observed while you’re in labor. This was a bit of a theme that continued through the entirety of this labor. I remember telling them I was feeling ok, I just didn’t know that I’d know when we needed to go to the hospital. All along, I thought we'd probably need to head on to the hospital once the contractions were consistently about 5 minutes apart. However, once that happened, they didn’t seem long enough or strong enough to me to warrant making the 35-40 minute trip to the hospital. I really did not want to get to the hospital too early. What’s too early you ask? I don’t know…some arbitrary timeframe I apparently had in my head. Anyway, I texted Melissa that too, about not knowing when to go and she reminded me we didn’t want any roadside babies. True, we did NOT want any roadside babies. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Around 9:15, I had a 2 minute long contraction. You can imagine, going from a 45 second ctx to a 2 minute long one got my attention. As soon as that ended, I announced that I thought we should probably head on out. Honestly, I felt a little frantic after that, thinking, “oh crap, I waited too long! I’m in trouble…Bob’s gonna be ticked if this kid comes in the car.” Ha. Thankfully, the kid did not come in the car. I let Melissa know we were headed to the hospital and she headed on over too. She lives much closer than we do so she arrived before us and had already made sure we had a room waiting. Such service!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To say the ride to the hospital, in Bob’s 4Runner, was uncomfortable is a little bit of an understatement. That was one bumpy truck ride, which normally, I appreciate. I was practically hanging from the grab handle to keep from sitting all the way on the seat. Bob kept apologizing after every bump…and so go our drives to the hospital (it’s been the same way every time). You’re sweet, babe…I love you!</div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We got to the hospital a little after 10 p.m. and went straight to our room. It always frustrates me that they make you sign in, then ask 10,000 questions to check you in.&nbsp; Yes, I know it’s necessary, but when you’re in labor, that’s the last thing you want to be bothered with. Anyway, we&nbsp;got to the room, I changed and got strapped up to some monitors to check on Charli and hung out in the bed for a bit. The nurse checked me and told us I was a 4 1/2 – 5 cm. I was going to be disappointed if I wasn’t at least a 5 so I just went with it…knowing things would pick up soon. The monitors showed Charli’s heart rate was a little bit low so they ended up giving me some IV fluids which totally took care of that issue. I don’t know if I just need more water than the normal person or what, but I drink SO.MUCH. water when I’m that far along in a pregnancy&nbsp;and this is the second time the nurses have asked, “have you been drinking?!” Each time, I think they mean alcohol. Nice, right? So the only downside to the IV fluids is that they make your hands and feet swell up like monsters after delivery and then it takes a week or two for that to completely subside. Who doesn’t want to deal with the discomfort of swelling along with all the other discomforts of being postpartum? Me! I don’t want to!</div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-uZZZOZFbxPU/UJWXUUbXvqI/AAAAAAAADSM/1GlPXcBIQp8/s1600-h/SAM_6666%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_6666" border="0" height="336" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YSY2qifSHS8/UJWXVZXtKtI/AAAAAAAADSU/-NzeMpcKUxY/SAM_6666_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_6666" width="221" /></a>&nbsp;</div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here I am…drinking. Take that, IV fluids. Thank you, Melissa, for keeping me well supplied with water, Gatorade, and that awesome hospital ice!</div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_sSc9SFblRo/UJWXXaX2dbI/AAAAAAAADSc/_4weYupkXl0/s1600-h/IMG_4064%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_4064" border="0" height="262" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-raox7quLvwc/UJWXYAXQSRI/AAAAAAAADSk/c5x63GQ6BuI/IMG_4064_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_4064" width="380" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I stayed in the bed for a while, laying on my side, while I got the fluids and waited for Charli's HR to start behaving. After we got the all clear on that, they took off the monitors and I went to the bathroom before we planned to go walk out in the hall. It had been about an hour since we got there. Melissa suggested the nurse check me one more time before we left the room and surprise, surprise, I was 8 cm. Again with the fast dilation (it happened that way with Bo too). The nurse called my doctor, sweet Dr. Edwards, who had agreed to come in that night, even though he was on call the next day. He lives close by and got there pretty quickly.</div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div align="center">&nbsp;<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-n7Ky0YBM9Fg/UJWXZkIEfKI/AAAAAAAADSs/IsTsnOwBVBA/s1600-h/SAM_6677%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_6677" border="0" height="271" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-h-WPW-SSs1E/UJWXagQMcTI/AAAAAAAADS0/v3_4rf3xY7M/SAM_6677_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_6677" width="393" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">During the next 20 minutes or so, I tried to find a comfortable position outside of the bed. I tried standing, leaning over the back of the bed, and ended up sitting on the bed and&nbsp;leaning on the birth ball, just like I did with Bo. In those 20 minutes, I got to 9.5 and my water still hadn’t broken. I think having my water intact that whole time really made the contractions more mild than I was expecting them to be. At one point, I was sitting on the bed, leaning against the ball, noticing that everyone was just sitting around watching me, oh and I had a spotlight on me. Remember? Earlier at home, during the debate, I was being observed there too.</div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XzAKF1qHP9I/UJWXc8F8DtI/AAAAAAAADS8/Snp8nbD8yds/s1600-h/SAM_6680%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_6680" border="0" height="274" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-VXJVO57Qs0U/UJWXd2EoNBI/AAAAAAAADTE/zwFhcp3bIso/SAM_6680_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_6680" width="397" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Z5MD4yGIiSs/UJWXfBvxPxI/AAAAAAAADTM/tgo8gI1gt10/s1600-h/SAM_6683%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_6683" border="0" height="276" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-D2E9L8MJK1w/UJWXgP9M6xI/AAAAAAAADTU/74Fh6otJST4/SAM_6683_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_6683" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I kept thinking, what are we doing here? Why aren’t these contractions longer? Why am I not freaking out? What’s the hold-up? I’m at 9.5. This baby is gonna be here in minutes! Well no, she was NOT coming in minutes. It was the weirdest transition I’ve experienced because I really couldn’t tell any difference in any of the contractions I had at the hospital. Anyway, around 11:30, everyone seemed to agree that Charli would be born before midnight. Midnight came and went and there was some discussion about breaking my water. Really, I just wanted someone to tell me that’s what was gonna happen, it was time, and they were going to do it. Instead, everyone was just sitting around asking me if I wanted it done…and then sitting around...and watching me. It was the strangest thing. Let me say now, now that I’m not sitting at 9.5, I completely appreciate that so much of this labor and decisions like when to have my water broken, if at all, were left up to me and my birth plan was followed exactly as I requested.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After expressing some concern that breaking my water would increase the intensity and pain of the contractions, something along the lines of, “I don’t want you to break my water and then I have crazy contractions for 45 minutes,”…Dr. Edwards reassured me that if I was at a 4 and he broke my water, then yes, they’d get a lot more painful, but since I was so close, he really thought they wouldn’t change much and she’d be out in minutes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">That seemed to make sense so I agreed. Oncethat decision was made, they leaned me back flat on my back. This did not a happy Greta make. By far, being flat on my back was the most uncomfortable I was during the whole thing. Apparently Charli’s head was so low there wasn’t even much fluid so Dr. E had a little bit of a hard time breaking my water. Actually, she ended up with a couple scratches on her head from the amnio-hook because of that. So sad.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr. E was right about the intensity of the contractions not really changing. However, she still wasn’t out in minutes. He could tell that she was transverse, meaning she was laying on her side.&nbsp;This is not an ideal position for a baby to be in when you’re trying to get them out. The ideal position is for them to be facing down. So, my awesome nurse suggested turning me on my right side for a few minutes and then flipping to the other side. She said that usually helps a transverse baby go on and flip. Yay, more laying on my back. Bleh. They leaned me back again, and basically rolled me over like a beached whale, all while I’m telling them forcefully, “I don’t like this! I don’t wanna do this! This does.not.feel.good!” (because apparently in my mind, labor is supposed to feel good???)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EafQHiFQek4/UJWXhQjlY8I/AAAAAAAADTc/-pLsVAxMtTo/s1600-h/IMG_4067%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_4067" border="0" height="431" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0dq0vL8Jw04/UJWXiIL2xGI/AAAAAAAADTk/WQLDLm4W_Fg/IMG_4067_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_4067" width="283" /></a></div><div align="center">Rockstar husband.</div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I got “comfortable”, gripping the bed rail for dear life and started feeling some pressure so I let myself bear down a little. Keep in mind, I hadn’t gotten the all-clear to push but it felt so much better to just bear down a little. Dr. Edwards came over to tell me he was going around the corner to take a catnap since he was on call the next day. I thought he was joking. Nope. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After they flipped me to my other side, I got my grip on THAT bed rail, and I started pushing a little. No one told me to stop, so I just went with it. As I realized I was “allowed” to push at this point, I started pushing like crazy. At one point, I felt something pop out and back in. It felt like Charli started to crown and then slid back in. I mentioned that to the nurse and I guess that clued her in to the fact that she needed to get Dr. Edwards back in the room if he was going to be there for this birth. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">While we were waiting for Dr. E,&nbsp;I started to&nbsp;feel the infamous ring-of-fire and everyone’s telling me, “don’t push, don’t push! He needs to hurry if he’s gonna be here to catch this baby!” And I’m thinking, “omg, why is this crazy nurse holding her hand over where this baby is coming out!” and “owwww, this is terrible having to wait!” Dr. E got back in the room, they flipped me over and I’m pretty sure Charli’s head came out as they were flipping me. Ahhh, after that, it’s smooth sailing. That little girl came out, with the cord around her neck, which makes 3 out of the 4 coming out with nuchal cords. Is this that common?! Dr. E confirmed that she is a girl and promptly placed her on my chest. Nothing compares to that feeling of relief and awe that a tiny person just came out of you. A baby is inside you, and then they’re not…they’re laying on your chest, looking up at you and they’re all warm and soft and rubbery feeling. Nothing compares to it.</div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-v5pyPccU7eY/UJWXjCIVesI/AAAAAAAADTs/ZVUxLEKb9cE/s1600-h/SAM_6692%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_6692" border="0" height="457" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OdiEnxeiBHA/UJWXjx_j-BI/AAAAAAAADT0/iY9cGjmE6Jk/SAM_6692_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_6692" width="300" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center">&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QlZ397YaTug/UJcbLU9dw8I/AAAAAAAADUM/U00hdThxxJ0/s1600-h/IMG_4071%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_4071" border="0" height="315" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xm3KBH4AIfA/UJcbL0HIc8I/AAAAAAAADUU/dhGvH-15h4Q/IMG_4071_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_4071" width="456" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As promised, Bob cut the cord, even though it took a little encouragement. He said he couldn’t not do it after watching what I just did. Fair enough. (<a href="http://sweetbirthdoula.blogspot.com/">Rachel</a>, this picture is for you.)</div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-I836B8g18-Y/UJcbMyYi_uI/AAAAAAAADUc/0xPTxWgVMBE/s1600-h/IMG_4076%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_4076" border="0" height="281" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-g4VGJ3GY5b8/UJcbNcZYeRI/AAAAAAAADUk/er3MV5bd9p4/IMG_4076_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_4076" width="407" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RQuvThdsdCg/UJc6aQ-kPxI/AAAAAAAADWg/lrU5eRU6OCo/s1600/hand+off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RQuvThdsdCg/UJc6aQ-kPxI/AAAAAAAADWg/lrU5eRU6OCo/s400/hand+off.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;">It was pretty sweet getting to hand that man a daughter.</div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UaOYNrSMKqA/UJcbQrjBIqI/AAAAAAAADU8/YgIkDYMLj-o/s1600-h/IMG_4079%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_4079" border="0" height="364" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XvGWQVKFbUc/UJcbRJgcjVI/AAAAAAAADVE/8uvUO028rGo/IMG_4079_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_4079" width="239" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_yKGS70usAM/UJcbSex7FjI/AAAAAAAADVM/FaLt2IVPLlc/s1600-h/SAM_6705%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_6705" border="0" height="246" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ioNsNsLVVo4/UJcbSwBsnBI/AAAAAAAADVU/L9_cdzpE6dE/SAM_6705_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_6705" width="339" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rUTMjDJiobA/UJcbUGdIanI/AAAAAAAADVc/11rGLKNVaJo/s1600-h/SAM_6708%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_6708" border="0" height="234" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BbgpXtCFnSo/UJcbUoiyoBI/AAAAAAAADVk/jRUtbRqgqFA/SAM_6708_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_6708" width="332" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;">So great to have a wonderful doctor and sweet friend in there, facilitating this birth! </div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I got to hold Charli for a long time and nurse her before they took her to weigh her and bathe her. She was 7 lbs. 11 oz., 19 3/4 inches long and arrived at 12:42 a.m., October 17th.</div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4G3XHL7YLSk/UJcbVt2OgNI/AAAAAAAADVs/-KHWqypC5rE/s1600-h/SAM_6710%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_6710" border="0" height="275" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-AjLYmnhmveo/UJcbWfJJkkI/AAAAAAAADV0/igrjdHeWEhY/SAM_6710_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_6710" width="398" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center">To sum it all up: <br />41 weeks pregnant<br />About 9 hours of labor<br />About 2 1/2 hours at the hospital<br />No meds</div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We are all thrilled that she’s here. The boys love her and are so sweet with her. Bob is so cute with her. How can a man be whipped by a baby immediately? I don’t know, but he is.</div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jeNotAUf_F0/UJcbXhhGIuI/AAAAAAAADV8/MX6qI5N24vc/s1600-h/Family%252520of%252520Six%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Family of Six" border="0" height="406" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TrGcLAuC0h4/UJcbY4bXtyI/AAAAAAAADWE/rllSsWOSnIg/Family%252520of%252520Six_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Family of Six" width="479" /></a></div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center">Healthy, family of six. Wow. We are so thankful!</div><br /></div><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/G0E4HeQShkE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com9http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/charlis-birth-story.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-62892845184838714872012-11-07T21:40:00.001-06:002012-11-20T22:05:49.777-06:00Thankful {Days 6 &amp; 7}<br /><br />Thankful {Day 6} I'm thankful for no line at my local poling place!<br />Thankful {Day 7} I'm thankful for 50-something degree weather all day.<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/gFCGMIL2LoM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-days-6-7-thankful-day-6-im.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-74061758056966053592012-11-05T10:50:00.002-06:002012-11-20T22:05:40.184-06:00Thankful {Catching Up : Days 1-5}I've got SO much to be thankful for. These are by no means in order. In fact, they are ones that I don't really need to explain so that I can catch up quickly. It should come as no surprise that I'm a little behind on this and am already having to catch up. Either way, I'm still thankful!<br /><br />Thankful {Day 1} I'm thankful for air conditioning, especially having been pregnant during 4 Alabama summers!<br />Thankful {Day 2} I'm thankful for soft blankets to snuggle up under with my kiddos.<br />Thankful {Day 3} I'm thankful for coffee creamer. Black coffee = bleh!<br />Thankful {Day 4} I'm thankful for remote controls. #lazy <br />Thankful {Day 5) I'm thankful for the privilege of voting.<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/eAq6iAEAEXw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com0http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-catching-up-days-1-5.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-838146769797635262012-11-02T10:03:00.001-05:002012-11-02T10:03:35.783-05:00And All of Sudden, We Have a Five Year-old**I had this ready to post on October 31 but Blogger was messing up. That's fitting though since I'm always late anyway.**<br /><br />My baby turns 5 today. Baby Sam turns five.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W3u_c2HpnIQ/UJGZzacWDBI/AAAAAAAADRc/hNUdrCJg_Ow/s1600/2012-10-26_1351268022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W3u_c2HpnIQ/UJGZzacWDBI/AAAAAAAADRc/hNUdrCJg_Ow/s320/2012-10-26_1351268022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />That seems so old.<br /><br />To say that we are proud of this kid is such an understatement. He is kind-hearted, helpful, honest, silly, intelligent, spiritually sensitive, responsible, brave, teachable, handsome, gentle with his sister, protective of his brothers, and his compassion and consideration for others just keeps growing. And...he's so much like his dad ;).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pxTSrTPVkGk/UJGZ4MXiFzI/AAAAAAAADRk/-tIbuAqlK8g/s1600/2012-10-03_1349223358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pxTSrTPVkGk/UJGZ4MXiFzI/AAAAAAAADRk/-tIbuAqlK8g/s320/2012-10-03_1349223358.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Sam, we are so glad you were born into our family. We're so glad you're the big brother to Grey, Bo, and Charli. You are such a cool kid, you make us so proud, and you help keep our life fun and exciting!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dZ0TG5FGi3Y/UJGZ9VRYULI/AAAAAAAADRs/fFYvWYitECM/s1600/2012-10-06_1349565823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dZ0TG5FGi3Y/UJGZ9VRYULI/AAAAAAAADRs/fFYvWYitECM/s320/2012-10-06_1349565823.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R9_5jMNrLDQ/UJGZucey4OI/AAAAAAAADRU/tweKCqL6vfs/s1600/2012-08-25_1345913926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R9_5jMNrLDQ/UJGZucey4OI/AAAAAAAADRU/tweKCqL6vfs/s320/2012-08-25_1345913926.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />We love you, fub you!<img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/qA5HKUP6E0E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com1http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/11/and-all-of-sudden-we-have-five-year-old.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988738184143691291.post-5564397494193402472012-10-26T15:59:00.002-05:002012-10-26T16:00:37.099-05:00She's Here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Charli Wells</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">October 17, 2012 12:42 a.m.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">7 lbs., 11 oz., 19 3/4 inches</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LuvfXRswwbg/UIr4DpiY7xI/AAAAAAAADQk/vqQpStBlaC0/s1600/SAM_6918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LuvfXRswwbg/UIr4DpiY7xI/AAAAAAAADQk/vqQpStBlaC0/s320/SAM_6918.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Welcome to the crazy, sweet girl!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j10N8DlAAw0/UIr4JWskeSI/AAAAAAAADQs/bFeMC5Bl-Z0/s1600/Family+of+Six.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j10N8DlAAw0/UIr4JWskeSI/AAAAAAAADQs/bFeMC5Bl-Z0/s320/Family+of+Six.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HdfCiyjZzI8/UIr4RFd1d1I/AAAAAAAADQ0/UPxYjkeyW9U/s1600/SAM_6979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HdfCiyjZzI8/UIr4RFd1d1I/AAAAAAAADQ0/UPxYjkeyW9U/s320/SAM_6979.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><br />*Birth story will be up shortly and I use the term shortly, loosely.</div><br /><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/hErU/~4/WS53d88B5kw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06094669963750035224noreply@blogger.com5http://ilovemrpibb.blogspot.com/2012/10/shes-here.html